


An Emerald Unearthed

by Snarky_SilverHaired_Sociopath



Series: The Makings of Team CRME [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Drama, F/M, Mild Sexual Content, Organized Crime, Parent Death, Pickpockets, Villain Origin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-02-28 21:56:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13280643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snarky_SilverHaired_Sociopath/pseuds/Snarky_SilverHaired_Sociopath
Summary: The story of Emerald Sustrai and how she came to be on her own.





	1. A Problem That Won't Go Away

**Author's Note:**

> The second origin story of the Team CRME series. I decided to post this one before I finished _My Name Is Cinder_ just to get it out there for now.
> 
> [Additions in Chapters 3 and 4.]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **EDIT (12/28/2018):** Someone gave me a really good idea to make Silva a shark-Faunus, so I've been working on editing the story to incorporate that aspect of him. I needed some Faunus OCs in this series anyway, so this was a good way to do it. You can thank [neopoliitan](http://neopoliitan.tumblr.com) for the idea.
> 
> Also, take the time to check out his fan-comic _Team RAIN_ (which you can find on his blog in the link). Definitely worth a look.

I see the man standing over my mother. My dad begging for forgiveness. “We don’t want any trouble!” my dad shouts.

“You should’ve thought of that,” the man says as he pulls out his gun, “before you decided to try to bail on our deal.”

“I’m trying to get the money!”

“I don’t doubt that. But let’s consider this penalty to ensure you make your payments next time.”

“No!” BANG!

 

I jolt awake. A nightmare. Reliving that day. Every time I awoke, it didn’t make the pain any less real. Even four years later. And I was only eight. I’m twelve now, but things aren’t any easier. There are always debts my dad has to pay. And I need to help him do that. He taught me to steal ever since I could talk. He homeschooled me the best that he could ever since my mom’s death. That was usually her job. But at least I could still get a basic education. Reading, writing, math, and some fundamental stuff. He didn’t think history was necessary, but he still gave me tidbits from time to time. But still, he trained me to be a thief.

He was pleased when I discovered my Semblance. Two years after Mom was killed. I made people see things. Illusions. As you might be able to tell, it helps to steal things from people right in front of their faces. But I’m still good with old-school pickpocketing. Slight of hand is valuable. I can’t rely on my Semblance all the time. But it was easy. Mistral always had the easiest suckers to pickpocket. No one could catch me even if they tried. But this is the life I lived. The life of a Sustrai. My father always wanted more for me, but I didn’t mind. I enjoyed the job. The pay may not have been great, but it was something.

But now it’s time to get to work. I find my clothes. The cargo pants and tube top. Dad always thought I should wear something less revealing. He even offered to get me more. But I refused. I like the way I dress. I go downstairs to my father’s workshop. I find him tinkering with some of the things I stole recently. He was always in an apron and some old dirty clothes. Today is no different. “Morning, dad!” I call down to him.

“Morning, Emmy,” he replies. “Need something to eat? For once, I could actually get something decent.” Food has always been a problem. Good food was especially hard to come by. So when he said he had something decent, I took him up on the offer.

“Sure,” I say. “What do you have?”

“I got some eggs cooked for you. Your favorite.” I sat down as he placed the plate in front of me.” I eat every bite and savor it. I knew it would be a while before I got something like this. And I know I would probably have to skip lunch. Again. “Don’t take too long. You gotta get out there and work.”

“I know, Dad,” I say with my mouth full. I swallow and continue. “You know, don’t you think I could possibly fence the stuff with you? For once?”

He sighed. “Emerald, you know why. I can’t let the others know about you. I don’t want what happened to your mother to happen to you.”

“I can take care of myself. You know that better than anyone.”

“It’s not that. I don’t… I don’t want you to be used as leverage.” His face grows more somber. “Times are tough enough as it is. You don’t need to be dragged into that kind of a mess. Do you understand?”

I just nod. “Yeah, I understand.”

“Good.” He gives me a hug and kisses me on the forehead.

As I finish my breakfast, I give the empty plate back to him. “Thanks, Dad.”

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Now, remember. What’s the most important rule when pickpocketing?”

“Don’t get caught,” I say as I approach the door.

“That’s my girl!” I smile at him and he returns one as well. He still had a smile that could light up a room. Even in the dark times, he would still be positive when he could. As I wave goodbye, I head out into town and get to work.

* * *

I usually sat around waiting for someone who looked like they had valuable stuff. I usually only took wallets when I could, but I could only take the money. Credit cards and IDs were good ways to get caught. Thankfully, people kept a lot of cash on hand, so I just dump the wallets and keep the money. But right now, I’m looking for something pretty good. Something that’ll be worth quite a lot.

And then I see it pass. The outline of a ring case in a man’s back pocket. Probably a wedding ring. I see the girl’s face. I doubt she’s interested in him. Taking that ring from him would be doing her a favor. So, I’ll try one of my usual tactics. Run and pretend you didn’t see them. Helps to get your hands on someone.

As I run forward, I bump into him. As I do, I grab the ring out of his pocket as I fall. He really should’ve pushed it in further. When I hit the ground, I quickly slip the ring into one of my pockets when they aren’t looking. Now it was time for the innocent child act. But he wasn’t in the mood for it. “Watch where you’re going, you little brat!” he shouts.

“Don’t be rude,” the woman shouts as she hits his shoulder. She holds out her hand to me and helps me up. “Sorry about that. Are you okay, sweetie?”

“I am,” I reply. “I’m kind of in a hurry, though. I’m sorry about running into you.”

“Well, try not to do it again,” he gripes. With that, he takes the woman and walks away. Yeah, she could do so much better than him.

Just for fun, I wait for him to propose. I could do something pretty good with this. It takes only a few minutes for him to find a secluded place. Next to a lovely fountain. Perfect. I sit on a bench a few meters away and watch. I put the illusion of his ring in there. Thankfully, I could make people feel things as well.

I couldn’t hear them, but I see him get down on one knee and reach for his pocket. He holds out what he thinks is the ring as I project the illusion. She doesn’t seem amused at all. He seems to be insisting that the ring is there. I end the illusion just as he looks back down. He definitely isn’t happy about this. I can’t help but giggle at this as the woman storms off. I’d say that was time well spent.

As I continue through my day, I go for a few more wallets and decide to head home. Today was a pretty good haul. I got about eight hundred Lien, and we were bound to get a good price for this ring. It looks pretty expensive. I can’t wait to tell Dad about my day.

* * *

A little later, I come back to see my dad working again, counting the lien he got from fencing some of the goods. He looks up at me with a smile. “Hey, Emmy. How was the haul?”

“Not bad,” I reply. I place the lien on the table and starts counting it.

“Looks good. You find anything else?” I then put the ring case on the table. He looks up at me, a little disappointed. But not really. I’ve seen this face before. He isn’t that upset with me. “Come on, Emerald. A wedding ring?”

“Trust me. You should’ve seen the guy I snatched it from. I was doing the girl a favor.” He opens it up as I keep talking. “I also did have a bit of fun with the proposal.”

He chuckles. “Emerald, what am I gonna do with you?” Although, his smile starts to shrink. “I guess if someone snatched the one I got, I wouldn’t blame them either.”

This again. He still blames himself for what happened to Mom. I take his hand and he looks up at me. “Hey, it wasn’t your fault.”

All he does is shake his head. “It is. I got her into this mess.”

“I don’t blame you. Why do you keep blaming yourself?”

“You wouldn’t understand…”

I don’t know what else to say to him to reassure him. But I won’t have time for that. Because there’s a knock at the door. “Hello? Anybody home?” the voice asks. I remember that voice. Dad panics and looks at his watch.

“Go upstairs,” he demands. “Now.”

I do as he says. I look down from the banisters out of sight. As he hides the ring. He goes to the front and opens it. In walks a Faunus man in a tailored suit. Slicked-back hair, a goatee, and a smug grin baring a set of shark teeth. The man who killed my mother. Randall Silva.

Silva’s a loan shark. Shakes people down for money when they can’t afford it. Dad took out some loans to him to keep up paying for the bills on our place. And the one time he couldn’t pay up enough, that’s when he decided to take someone from him. Mom. Dad told me he’s ruthless. He’d kill someone with a smile and go off to have lunch in twenty minutes. Wouldn’t even ruin his appetite.

“Sustrai!” he says as he walks in with three of his goons. “How are things going with my favorite business partner?” He always talked like he was a friend. But despite his tone, almost nothing he ever said was ever friendly.

“They’re fine,” Dad flatly replies.

“Good to hear.” Silva’s tone never stopped being chipper. I hated it. “So listen, I know I’ve been out of town for a couple days, so I was hoping you’d have the money you owe me for this month. I mean, you’ve had enough time to deliver.”

“I’ll get it for you. I just need another day.”

He looks mockingly disappointed. But I know he expected this. “Not good enough, Cole. You know how tight my schedule is. So, I’m gonna need that money now.”

Reluctantly, Dad goes to his money stash and gives him his payment. Silva starts counting the money “Here, that’s all the money I can give you right now.”

As he finishes, Silva looks up at him. “All the money you can give me?” Dad doesn’t respond. “So, that implies this isn’t all the money you have? Because this is not gonna cut it.”

“Silva, please! I need money for food. Water. The bills that our agreement ‘conveniently’ doesn’t cover.”

He then puts on that smug grin again. “Oh, I’m sorry, Cole! I forgot. You’re a person. You need to get yourself some sustenance and electricity and heat. That’s right. I understand completely!” His tone then went dead serious. “Hand over the rest of the money.” Dad hesitates. “Or am I gonna have to start going around looking for that little daughter of yours?”

My dad scowls and looks through his drawer. Giving him all the money. “Just take it and go.”

And Silva’s grin returns, sharp teeth in full view. “Pleasure doing business with you as always, Sustrai.” With that, he leaves.

My father looks defeated. Broken. I go downstairs again, and I simply hug him. Just one thing to help remind him that the world isn’t ending. I’m once again reminded of how much danger we’re in. And I notice him starting to cry.

“The wedding ring!” I shout. “How much could we get for it?”

He lets go and looks through the drawers. He takes a closer look at it. It was big with lots of smaller gemstones. Some diamonds it seemed. “Even if the gems are fake, I’m sure we could get at least 3,000 Lien from it.”

“You think this kind of thing would help get rid of him? Maybe if we get enough money, he’ll leave us alone.”

He sighs again. “I don’t know, Emmy. It just… Silva is not a problem that goes away easily.”

“We have to try! I can get more money if I use my Semblance more!”

“You know why I can’t let you do that. People will catch on.”

“It’s worth a shot!”

He mulls over it for a moment. I hope he goes for it. Finally, he speaks up. “Our next payment is in thirty days. How much do you think you can get in that time?”

“At least a payment and a half. Maybe even enough for two months.”

“Well, if he takes the early payment, that gives us more time to get extra money.”

“And he won’t want to try and take more from us.”

“I do hope you’re right, Emerald.”

I smile and kiss him on the cheek. “Don’t worry, Dad. I won’t let you down.”

I can’t let him down. I will not let him down. We need to get rid of Silva. It’s the only way our family could stay safe again.


	2. A Small Chance at Happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emerald and her father try to get some more money to pay off his debts to Silva.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This next chapter will definitely paint Cole in a different light. And you will definitely see it once it comes up.
> 
> And in case you're wondering, the outfit Emerald is wearing is similar to the one she wears when she first meets Cinder. (And yeah. She's twelve right now. So you can see why she mentioned that her father had a problem with it in the first chapter.)

I come back from another outing of pickpocketing for Dad. Two weeks later and we’re already piling up a lot of money from wallets and Dad has been fencing a lot of the more valuable items using my semblance. It’s amazing how easy it is to get things when they hand them to you. Just try to look like a girl twice my age and they’ll start talking.

It was amazing. We almost have enough money for one payment to Silva. And in less than half the time we need it. Soon, we’ll have more money for ourselves and maybe not have to keep paying him.

I lay the Lien I acquired from wallets and some assorted pieces of jewelry for him. “Way to go, Emmy!” he says. “You made sure no cameras saw you, right?”

“None at all,” I replied with a smile. I look at all the money we’ve acquired with awe. “Wow. We’ve never had this much money in a long time.”

“I know. Thank you, kiddo. I know this life is tough, but you really pulled through.”

“You’re welcome, dad.” I hug him.

“You know, now that we’ve got some more money to use, we could always find something good to eat.”

“YES! I would like to have some genuinely decent food again!”

“You are not the only one.”

Suddenly, we hear knocking on the door. Who could it possibly be? Hopefully not the police. Both my dad and I are confused. He looks at me and I know what he means. Hide the Lien and the jewels. I seriously hope it’s not a cop. “Door’s open,” he says.

And in walks Silva and three of his men. Still smarmy as ever. I freeze and my dad looks terrified. “Sustrai! Great to see you, again! And…” He looks at me with a bit of contempt. “Wow. Cole, come on. Do you really let your daughter dress like that? What is she? Like, ten?”

“Twelve,” I spit back.

He sighs. “Honestly, Cole. Your parenting skills need some work. Then again, I guess that what I can expect from a thief, right?”

“Silva, our payment isn’t due for another two weeks!”

“I’m aware of that,” he condescendingly replies. “I do have a calendar.” He holds up his scroll, showing his calendar app. “Certainly helps with the collections. But I just wanted to drop by for a little surprise visit.” I would just love to wipe that stupid grin off his face and shatter all his pointy teeth.

“What do you want?”

“Well, I don’t know if you’ve heard about this, but we’ve been hearing about the robberies going on around your part of the neighborhood. People getting paid for valuable items and then suddenly having all the Lien just… disappear. It’s crazy, isn’t it?” He knows. He knows something is up.

My dad hesitates. “Yeah, it’s pretty crazy. A little unbelievable if you ask me.”

“Oh, trust me. I didn’t believe it either. So, I had some of my guys go out a week ago and check out these ‘robberies,’” he used air quotes, “for themselves and see if something was up. An in every case, there happened to be a little girl… with green hair.” He looks right at me and my eyes widen. “Look, I’ll just come out and say it. I know that she has something to do with this. And I bet it’s helping you get quite a lot of money, isn’t it?”

Neither of us said a word. “You know,” he continues, “I could definitely use a skill like that in my operation. So, I’m here to give you an alternative way to settle all your debts. You give her to me and let her work under my employ doing… whatever it is she does, and you will be officially out of debt and all you’ll have to worry about is those pesky bills you keep complaining about.”

“As good as that offer sounds,” my dad says, “I’m going to have to decline. We’ll get you your money, Silva.”

Silva then chuckles. “I think you misunderstand me, Sustrai. I wasn’t making an offer. Look, this deal is a pretty good one. You’d have to be a fool for not taking it, so I’ve gotten rid of the option to decline at all. That’s how confident I am that you’ll be satisfied with this deal.” Both my dad and I are shocked. He intended to get me no matter what.

“Silva, I’m not going to give you my daughter just for the debt. We’re getting you your money.”

“How long have you been staying here?”

“…Six years,” my dad grumbles.

“Six years. That's quite a long time. And tell me, what happened that made you require my assistance in the first place.” My dad was speechless. “You don’t remember? Then let me give you a refresher. You lost all your money in gambling debts and ended up getting you, along with your wife and kid, homeless. You do remember that, right?”

“…yes…”

He looks at me and says, “That’s right, honey, it’s your daddy’s fault that you had to live on the streets. What a symbol of love, isn’t it?” He looks back at my dad. Never dropping that smug grin. “And me, being the kind soul that I am, decided to take pity on you and offer you a place to stay. All I wanted was that fee and the first time you fell behind, I had to kill your old lady. You remember that, right?” I know I did. And it made me angry thinking about it.

“And now,” he added, “I have a perfect way for you to get out of debt, a debt that is entirely your fault, and you won’t take it? You know you brought this on yourself, Sustrai. So, just be the good parent you never will be and let your kid be with someone who can actually provide for them.”

“You are not taking my daughter and that’s final. I’ll get you the payment, Silva. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Actually, I just wanted money. I don’t really care where it’s from. And your daughter apparently can make a lot of money. That’s why I’m telling you to let her work for me.” Silva looks at me. “Whaddaya think, little Sustrai? Doesn’t that sound fun?”

I stick my tongue out at him. Like I’d ever wanna work for him. Unfortunately, he sighs and calmly pulls out his gun. “You really need to teach your kid some manners, Cole.”

My dad steps in front of the gun. “DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH MY DAUGHTER!”

Silva seems a bit shocked. “Let me guess. I can hurt her ‘over your dead body?’ Well, that can be arranged.” He looks at him with a sadistic, smug grin.

“DAD!” I yell. Before I knew what happened, I see him get shot in the chest. He clutches the wound as he looks to me.

“Run!” he screams before Silva shoots him in the head. I nearly freeze, but I have to get out of there. Silva is not messing around. I run upstairs. What do I do? Wait, my Semblance.

“Go find her,” I hear Silva say. I go hide in a closet and obscure myself in the thug’s mind. It seems to work. Although, him looking right at me doesn’t really ease my tension. He leaves the room. I deactivate my Semblance and I look around. Of course, I pick the one room that doesn’t have a window. Fantastic.

“Boss, we can’t find her,” the thug calls out.

“Ugh!” he says. I hear his footsteps coming up the stairs. “How hard is it for three idiots to find one little girl?!”

“We’ve checked, and she ain’t here!”

I only hear silence. Then, Silva calmly replies, “There are only two rooms up here. The one window around here isn’t even open. Where else could she have possibly gone?”

“I don’t know boss, but she’s not –“

A gunshot. I hear a body dropping to the floor. “Rhetorical question. She couldn’t have gone anywhere.”

“We’re serious!” I hear another one say. “You can check if you want!”

“Of course. Because I have to everything around here.” He comes into the room I’m staying in. I use my Semblance again. I try to keep concentrating as he looks around the room, but it becomes harder to concentrate when his face comes within inches of mine. He doesn’t see a thing, but it’s still mortifying to have him looking right at me. He leaves and checks the other room. “Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me.” I can hear his frustration. “How do you let her escape?”

Let’s see if I can sneak past. I try to crawl on the ground and I see the dead body in front of the room. To say it’s not a pleasant sight would be understating it. I use my Semblance on one thug that’s standing in front of Silva as I crawl behind the man in the suit and his other thug. “I mean, it’s not like she woulda gone far,” the third thug says.

“Well, you people better find them soon. I swear, I’m working with amateurs.” They all turn in my direction. Oh, no! I use my Semblance on all three of them. Yeah, more of a headache than I anticipated. I can barely keep up. Come on, just turn around!

Thankfully they do. And I can relax. But I can’t slow down now. They might kill me. “Come on out, little Sustrai!” Silva says in a “friendly” tone. "Don't be afraid. I won't bite." I can already sense that he's baring his shark teeth with that comment. “If you show yourself soon, I promise not to hurt you.” I’ve got an idea! I move to the window and prepare to open it. “Make things difficult for me… and I’ll make things difficult for you.”

As soon as I open it, one of the thugs walks in. I project my image diving out the window as I hide under the bed. He runs forward, but all he finds is what I want him to see. “Boss! We’ve got a problem!”

“What now?” he says in an exasperated tone. Great. Now I have to do all three of them again. I project the image in all of their heads. All I know is that I’m going to have the biggest headache after this. “Well, that’s unfortunate,” he calmly says. “And here I was thinking the kid was smarter than her old man.”

“What do we do now?” he says as they all look away from the window. And my head already starts throbbing.

“Get out of here, we’ll frame it as a robbery gone wrong.”

“What about the girl’s body?”

“Don’t bother with it. People walking by will probably think she killed herself. I wouldn’t blame her with that deadbeat father of hers.” While I want to kick Silva in the shins right now for insulting Dad, my plan worked. They think I’m dead and they don’t even need to check for my body.

“What about the police?”

“I’ve got half of them in my pocket and you know that. For now, we get out of here and don’t disturb anything else. Just take the rest of the money they made and I’ll call my cops.” I hear their voices recede into the distance as they walk downstairs. “They will take care of everything.” I wait a moment to recover from a massive headache.

Feels like it’s been a few hours but it’s probably only been a few minutes. But now my mind is clear. Get out of this place. I head downstairs and hope those police haven’t gotten here yet. I walk past my Dad’s body and pause for a moment. Tears fall from my eyes. I can’t believe he’s really gone…

But I don’t have time to mourn now. I need to go. Now. I had to run as far away from this place as possible. I’m on my own now. There’s no changing that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small chance at happiness... taken away in the blink of an eye. Cruel irony! But yes. Now Emerald is on her own. You'll get to see more of her adventures soon.
> 
> In case you are wondering, I did add an extra chapter. I felt I needed an extra one. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you enjoy what I have in store.


	3. A Good Place to Start Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emerald adjusts to life on her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's gonna be a six-year time skip. Emerald is now eighteen and has been a lot of places. But why should I tell you about it? I'll just let her fill you in. Enjoy!
> 
>  **EDIT:** (4/17/2018) Made some edits to put some filler in between now and the return of Silva.

It has been six years since my father was killed. After that day, I tried to run as fast as I could to Vacuo. I hid there in the hopes that I’d never had to see Silva again. I doubt he’d ever be caught dead in this place. But I was still on my own. Lost, tired, hungry, and penniless. I had to make a life for myself all over again. Thankfully, Vacuo was the perfect place to do it for a thief like me.

For the first few months, I just tried my old tricks of pickpocketing to get money for food. I can at least thank dad for that. I figured it would be a little suspicious if I used my Semblance too much to get stuff to eat. After I got older and taller, I just had to change my appearance. It helped when the vendors didn’t see the food falling through my projection’s hands.

For shelter, I found an old van that someone had left behind. I tried to steal some parts to get it working again. It didn’t take long to find the thing. And it made living here much easier. It came with communication to the other kingdoms. Not that I had anyone to talk to, but I could get some news. I even found myself a scroll.

And I took the time to build myself some weapons. A pair of sickles that could be turned into revolvers. I had a bit of a tough time getting Dust for the guns at first. So, I didn’t get a lot of time to practice shooting. But it provided me plenty of time to practice fighting. Both Grimm and people. (They seemed to be doing a lot of that in Vacuo.)

After two years, I finally had enough resources to take my van to a bigger city in Mantle. I still stole what I could, but I had a bit of trouble adjusting to the fact that they had police. Wasn’t used to that after spending so much time in Vacuo. I learned to adapt quickly though. And I found a lot of abandoned buildings to hide out in. I had five places to go across the city. It all depended on where I was at the time.

After a while, I started trying to steal bigger possessions that I could find. They had a surprising number of people willing to pay a lot for the loot. They didn’t really care much where you got it from. A lot of it was stolen anyway, so it really didn’t matter much. Thank the gods for that. I found a few places to fence the stuff and I made a killing. Not that I could spend a lot of it legitimately. Even for a small meal, I still preferred using my Semblance to “pay” for it.

Things are going pretty comfortably so far. They weren’t ideal, but I was able to get fed. More than I did with Dad. I could chalk that up to him being bad with money (as his gambling debts could attest to), but I think the fact that I didn’t have to pay money to a jerk in a suit every month helped me keep some spare money.

I was on my own for the most part. There weren’t a lot of people in the criminal element that I was acquainted with. Maybe a girlfriend or a boyfriend here and there just to keep me company, but things weren’t nearly stable enough to keep up a relationship. Thankfully, they didn’t end because they were killed. I wouldn’t be having any more loved ones dying.

Overall, I think I’ve made it to a pretty decent place in my life. It kinda got lonely, but I managed. There was never a dull moment. If not on the run from police, there were some stupid thugs to fight because they hit on me.

“Hey, gorgeous!” Like right now! I turn around and see the big dim-wit looking down at me with a creepy grin. “Couldn’t help but notice that you’re all alone. Thought I might give you some company. A pretty girl like you shouldn’t be alone.”

All I do is smirk at him before saying, “As tempting as that offer is,” and it isn’t at all, “I’m not interested.”

“Really? Because I think you would be interested if you gave me a chance.” Oh, great. He’s too dumb to take a hint.

That’s okay. This is when I get to do thing the fun way. “Let me tell you something. Leave me alone right now, and I promise not to hurt you.” My hand creeps closer to my weapons.

He only chuckles. He’s not scared… but he really should be. “That’s adorable. Like you would ever hurt someone you’re madly attracted to.”

Alright, that does it! I take the blad and flick it open. In an instant, I swipe him across the face. He gets knocked back and has a giant gash on his face. “I warned you,” I say with a smirk.

But now he’s angry. I see him enable his Aura and heal the cut. “You know, a simple now would’ve worked.”

I’m not even gonna grace that one with a remark. Now it’s time to fight. He goes for a punch. I dodge and hit him with my other blade. I kick him into a wall. Well, almost. Didn’t have enough force to knock him back. He takes another punch and I block it with the blades. As he tries to kick me, I hop up out of the way and kick him in the back of the head while I’m in the air. I land and watch him turn around. That’s when I shoot him to deplete his Aura.

Before he gets up. I project an image of myself running through the crowd while obscuring myself. Like the moron he is, he goes after it, shoving people out of the way. I wait for him to get far enough before ending the image. He is gonna be so confused right now. I chuckle to myself before going out to get a sandwich to eat. Nothing too fancy. Just something to keep my stomach full. Hopefully, I wouldn’t be seeing any more of that guy again.

* * *

At the end of the day, I get back to the run-down building where I've been staying. For living on the streets, it's not too bad. It has mattresses to sleep on, it's insulated, and it's out of view of any police officers who would bother any poor souls just trying to survive. It was pretty empty though. But not completely empty.

"Is that who I think it is?" I hear. From behind me, the owner of the voice, Gavin, wraps his arms around me. "Hey, Emerald. Haven't seen you in a while."

"That's because I've been avoiding talking to you as much as possible," I reply. Gavin isn't that bad a guy. He's just very overbearing most of the time. But he was here before I was and it's not like I could find any other place to stay. Plus, considering I'm a girl with needs, he's pretty much the only person who's consistently around that I can sleep with. Not saying that he's attractive in a lot of ways, but he's good enough for that. He only comes around every once in a while, so I don't see him too often. He's not really my boyfriend, even though he'd like to consider himself otherwise. It's just for the sex. Nothing more. (I didn't even bother to learn his last name because I frankly don't care that much.)

"Come on. You know you love me. Besides, a hunk like me could have tons of women swooning over him. Consider yourself lucky."

"Do not get it mixed up, Gavin. I only hook up with you because you're convenient. That is the only reason."

"Heh. You keep telling yourself that." Honestly, like most guys, he was kind of a creep, but he's not as bad as most guys I've had the displeasure of interacting with on a daily basis. And at least he tries to treat women with respect. "So, are you in the mood for -"

"Not tonight, Gavin."

"Haven't seen you in so long and you won't even put out? How cruel."

I go to the mattress I usually sleep on and shake my head. "Honestly, I'm pretty tired right now. And I can't really be bothered to do it." I kick off my shoes and get ready to sleep.

"What? Did you get a big haul?"

"Not really. Things aren't going so well on that front."

"Well, I could always pass along some of my assets." He says it with a smirk.

"I know exactly what I have to do in return and I'm not planning on owing you in that way. So, I'll pass."

He shrugs. "I'm not gonna be here forever. it's a limited time offer, so you better take it while you can."

"You know, if I shoot you, I could just take your stuff for myself."

Now he genuinely seems scared. "Please don't do that."

I laugh as I put my weapons away. I lay on my side and feel something in my chest. Oh, that's right. I reach into my shirt and pull out some Dust rounds that I keep there for emergencies. Puberty was kind in giving me that convenience. Though, I'm surprised I forgot to take these out.

Later in the night, I lie awake. Thinking about a lot of things. Mostly my Dad and what he'd think of me now. Maybe he'd be proud I made it this far on my own. Maybe he'd be freaking out about the fact that I've been having sex with people. Hey, at least I'm not getting pregnant. (I steal some birth control to use. It's not like I was going at it that often, but the last thing I need is a baby right now.) Though as much fun as this thinking is, it doesn't make things better about losing Dad and Mom. I feel a tear fall down my cheek and I wipe it away. I miss them so much. If only something could make my life better. I can't bring them back; I know that. But... if there was a way to get them back, I would. Oh well. No use mulling over it. There's nothing I can do about it... A few more tears fall. Man, why do I do this to myself?


	4. A Troublesome Brush with the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emerald comes across a figure from her past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Originally posted on 4/17/2018 and has been/will be backlogged to before the original completion date just to keep it consistent.)

Thursdays were my day to go out and fence some of the stuff I got. Went to a reliable guy named Rusty. He did business a lot with me and could get me some good deals on stuff. This time, I had a watch that I snagged out of a jewelry store two days ago. The price was like two thousand Lien. That would buy lunch and Dust for at least a month.

I walk into the shady establishment. A small shop on the edge of town. Rusty was talking with another customer at the moment, so I waited and looked around. Lots of pretty interesting stuff and… well, I wasn’t expecting that. I see a cute girl looking around. Black hair and blue eyes. Might as well give it a shot.

I walk beside her. “Looking for something?” I ask.

She turns and giggles a bit bashfully. Adorable. I smile before she says, “Oh, no. I’m just looking around.”

“Well, I don’t think Rusty will let you buy anything. He says he won’t get as much for them on the market.”

“I guess he needs to keep his business up somehow.”

“Is this your first time here?”

“Yeah. I’m here with my boyfriend.” And much to my disappointment, she points to the man talking with Rusty.

“Oh.” I just try to hide my frustration. The sad fact of my attempts at a dating life. Even if my lifestyle wouldn’t get me a long-term relationship, the guys were usually creeps, and the girls usually didn’t swing that way. Just my luck.

“Ready to go,” the guy says.

“One sec, babe.” She looks back at me. “Nice talking to you.” She waved and smiled. I returned the gesture, but I was still not happy with it.

I just need to go to Rusty and get my Lien. I walk to his table and the kindly old man greets me. “How’s it going, Emerald?”

“Fine.” I place the watch on the counter. “Stole this a couple days ago.”

“Let me take a look.” He examines the watch closely. “Brand new?”

“Yep.”

“Well… I guess I can get you 1,700 Lien.”

“Seventeen hundred?! The thing cost two thousand when I checked the price!”

“That’s for the additional maintenance kit included. The watch itself is seventeen.”

“A three hundred Lien maintenance kit?!”

“I don’t make the rules, Em. I’m not giving you any more than it’s worth. Seventeen hundred. Take it or leave it.”

I scowl at the revelation. “You know, you’ve gotten me some bad deals, but this takes the cake. I gave you something crappier than this and it went for twice that much!”

“Emerald, there’s not much I can do about that. It’s seventeen hundred.”

Oh, forget that! “I swiped a watch that had a two grand price tag. I came here expecting two grand. And I’m not leaving here until you put the extra three hundred Lien.”

“I can’t just hike up the price like that!”

Before I can respond, I hear a voice say, “Yeah, right. He’ll probably sell it back for twenty-five hundred.” Wait a minute… I know that voice. I almost don’t want to turn around because I don’t want to be right. “Hold on… I’ve seen that hair before. Doth my eyes deceive me? Could it really be…?”

He walks around in front of me. Now I feel nothing but rage. The suit. The slicked back hair. The goatee. The smug shark smile. It couldn’t possibly be.

“Little Sustrai!” Great. That name again. “I haven’t seen you in years! And it seems, you’re not so little anymore. In more ways than one.” Silva smirks as I notice his eyes taking a glance at my chest. Of all the things you can say, you have to point that out. “Well, at least now, the way you dress would be suitable for your age. Quite appealing, I might add.”

“You know her?” Rusty asks.

“Oh, we go way back!” he says. Like we were ever friends. “Last time I remember seeing you, you died.” He says it so casually as if he forgot what happened before I made him think I died. I only glare at him. “Honestly, I’m not even mad about it. I’m just impressed. You really have some kind of abilities, don’t you?”

I don’t respond. Rusty speaks up again. “Uh, are you here to pick up the payment already? It isn't even due yet.”

“I know, but I wanted to see how my new business partner was doing.” He smiled as he put his arm around Rusty. Another “business partner.” I can’t believe this. “That’s right, little Sustrai.” I have another name, douche! “I’m setting up shop here in this city. Networking a bit. It’s all pretty recent. But you know what they say, ‘go big or go home.’” The smug look on his face just makes me wanna punch it. Of all the cities in Remnant to do business, you choose mine! Just my luck!

“I could tell you all about it if you want,” he says as he walks towards me. “Maybe we can discuss that business deal we discussed that long time ago. Maybe you’ll have some more sense than your old man and take it.” He chuckles just after insulting Dad again. Even in death, he doesn’t let up on insulting him. “You know my name, Sustrai,” he says as he puts on his sunglasses. “If you need to reach me, just mention it in the less reputable places. They’ll point you in the right direction.” He strolls out confidently. “Nice to see everything’s running smoothly, Rusty. Keep up the good work!”

With that, he was gone. My fists clench as I glare at the door. He’s back Silva is back in my life. Dad was right. He’s not a problem that goes away easily.

“Two thousand,” I demand.

“Emerald, how do you know Silva?”

“He murdered my mother and father while bleeding my dad dry because of his debts. If you’re not careful, he will do something very bad to you.” Rusty only stares back at me with shock at the succinct manner I tell him this. “Two thousand for the watch.” I think he understands my plight. He hands over the two thousand Lien without a fuss. “Thank you.” I flatly reply. “See you next week.”

I’m heading back to the building. He’s back. Silva is back. Of course, he is. I’m an idiot for thinking that he wasn’t going to show up in my life again.

* * *

I race back to the place I was currently. My mind races with all the thoughts I've had about Silva showing up again. I thought he was gone. I thought I was free of him for good. But Dad was right. He's a problem that doesn't go away easily. I run straight to my bed and sit down. I pull my knees closer to my chest and wrap my arms around them. I just don't know what to do about him. It's frustrating.

"Hey, Emerald," I hear Gavin say. I look up and see that he's concerned. "Are you alright?"

How do I answer that? Do I just explain that the man that ruined my life came back and might try to ruin my life again? That all the horrible memories I've been trying to forget have come back to haunt me? Well... there is one thing he can do for me. I get up and grab his face to kiss him I push him back to the bed and he goes along with it.

"Well, well, well," he says with a smirk. "Looks like you want me after all."

"Shut up," I meekly reply.

"Don't be like that. You know -"

I straddle him as I say, "Seriously, don't talk."

He looks at me quizzically. "What?"

"I don't want you to talk. Just keep quiet and get started."

Thankfully, he doesn't question it. He's not gonna complain about it. He strips off my clothes and we start going at it. Not affectionate or anything. Just rough, meaningless sex. Something to help me keep my mind off of things. Of all times, I needed this the most.

 

He lays asleep next to me as I lay awake. My mind still on what to do about Silva. (Unfortunately, as much as I needed the sex, it wasn't helping.) It wasn't something I could ignore. If he keeps this up, he'll keep ruining my life.

I need to take care of this problem once and for all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note originally from (1/8/2018):  
> Come on, guys. You can't be surprised that Silva has made his return. He was bound to show up again. I'm looking forward to writing these next few chapters.


	5. A Necessary Measure to Take

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emerald goes to confront Silva.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I'll let you know that after this story, I'll finally be working on the Team CRME fic. It will start with Cinder and Emerald. And while I do that, I'll try to get Roman and Mercury's stories started. I won't finish the group fic until those two are posted. Just wanted to give that plan of events out for now.

I started to go after him the very next day. If I didn’t deal with him soon, he’d be haunting me and a lot of other people for a long time. I went to some of the less reputable places like Silva said (and I knew about most of them). It didn’t take too long to get someone to direct me to Silva. It seems that he already made quite a name for himself. So many people are doing business with him. As if he doesn’t have enough money already.

So, now I’m on my way to see him, in some building on the edge of town. Not that great, but much nicer than the places I went looking for people who knew him. (And a lot better than my place.) I walk closer to the building and see two guards at the front door. I really hope I wasn’t going to have to fight someone. I didn’t mind fighting them (I’ve fought and utterly defeated five guys just as big as them at once.) but I don’t want to waste my time.

“You got business with the boss, little lady?” one of them asks.

“I do,” I reply.

“What kinda business?” the other one asks while smirking.

I glare at him and say, “Not the kind you’re thinking of.”

His smile drops. “You got a name?”

“Sustrai.” I assume he’s expecting me, so that should be enough to get me in.

They both look at each other, silently signaling one another or something. But sure enough, they open the door and let me in. I walk up to a security checkpoint and the guard there looks at me. “You’re going to need to hand over all Dust and weapons,” he says. I could try using my Semblance, but I doubt I can keep it up for long enough. But I doubt he has any Dust detectors or anything. I keep one round in my pocket and one in my shirt just in case the one in my pocket gets taken because I doubt anyone’s going to be looking for it in there. (I hope not, at least.) After that, I reluctantly hand over my guns and the rest of the rounds.

The guard lets me in and I go upstairs. Two guards stand in front of a wooden door. “Who are you?” one of them asks.

“Sustrai,” I reply. If it worked once, it should work again. And it does. The guard opens the door and follows me in.

And sure enough, there’s Silva sitting at his desk with the same smug shark-tooth-filled grin. “Little Sustrai!” He says. “Or should I just call you just ‘Sustrai’ now? You are the only one left.” Because of you. I scowl at him. “I’m sure your parents gave you a first name, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard it.”

“Emerald,” I plainly tell him.

“Oh! I get it! The green hair, isn’t it? Man, your folks weren’t that imaginative. Your hair isn’t even emerald green for crying out loud.” My fists clench as I hear him insult my parents again. He looks at his guard. “Please search Emerald’s pockets.”

“They already took my stuff earlier. Is this really necessary?”

Silva snaps his fingers and the guard puts my hands out to my side to check the pouches. He inevitably finds the Dust round I kept and tosses it to Silva. As he catches it he says, “Apparently so.” And his stupid grin grows again. “You’re pretty clever, but I’m not stupid.”

“Well, you did think I died six years ago.”

“And I’m just anxious to know just how you pulled it off. Was it the same trick you used to steal things from right in front of people?” I scowl and glare at him, but he doesn’t seem fazed. “Do you want to get into an intimidating staring competition? I’m all for it. I’ll play along.” He imitates my expression jokingly. I really hate this guy.

“What do you want with me?”

He stops the expression and continues with his usual one. “I just wanted to have a little friendly chat about business. That’s all.” He gets up from his desk and goes to pour some whiskey. “Want a drink?”

“I’m only eighteen.”

“Emerald, please. I’m running an illegal business and have killed people. You live on the streets and steal for a living. The legality of this is hardly an issue.” He hands me the drink. It is a fair point. “And besides, I’m sure you’ve had alcohol before.”

He’s not exactly wrong. I take the glass he hands me as he pours another for himself. I take one sip of the stuff. I spit it out immediately. Even for whiskey, this stuff tastes awful! “You know, for a rich guy, you really do have awful taste in alcohol.”

“Well, I’m sorry you poor-person palette can’t handle some good drinks.” He takes a bigger sip. “It’s some of the best stuff around. Ask anyone. If you don’t like it, that’s your loss.”

“I doubt that,” I gripe as I place the glass on his desk. "Probably only tastes good for Faunus."

"No need to bring that up. You wouldn't like it if I started mocking the color of your skin, would you?" He looks at me as if he's genuinely offended.

However, I already know better. "Well, I usually don't have a problem with Faunus. Just the ones that end up killing my parents."

“Well, I could debate the taste of good alcohol and race-relations all day, but I don’t have much time for that. Right now, you and I have a mutual business venture to discuss.”

“I’m not going to work with you.”

“Don’t be so dismissive, Sustrai. If you were to tell me how exactly you pulled off that fake death trick and how you steal things from people right in front of them, that would be a valuable skill for me. I can provide you with food, a place to stay –“

“Let me guess, all for a small fee. Right?” I wasn’t going to fall for this.

He chuckles. “Smart kid. You are definitely better at doing business than that deadbeat dad of yours.”

“Don’t insult him!”

“Come on, Emerald. You can’t pretend that he wasn’t a bad parent. You think he got where he was because of me? He dug a hole for himself, you, and your mother. But when I offered him a solution, he wouldn’t pay up. Even when that solution meant a better future for you.”

“Quit acting like you’re some kind of saint! You killed my mom!”

“Because he didn’t get his payments in! He knew the risks. He shouldn’t have been surprised that things went the way they did.”

“And that gives you the right to murder someone for his mistakes?”

He says nothing, seeming confused. “I’m sensing some hostility here.” I can’t believe this guy! “Honestly, I don’t know why you keep defending him. He got you and your family homeless and trained you to be a thief! Does that not seem exploitive to you?”

“Says the guy who extorted him for six years!”

“Extortion makes it sound like it was my fault he was in this mess.”

“Well, you sure as hell weren’t trying to get him out of it. And by the way, Silva, I keep defending my father because even though he may have lost that money and made me a criminal, he still cared about me. He did what he could to help our family survive after what he did. He wanted to help work towards a future where we wouldn’t need to steal for a living. Something that your ‘rent prices’ didn’t allow him to do. I used to hear him up at night with mom begging and pleading her to forgive what he did. And after she died, he was heartbroken about everything he did to get where he was and everything it had done to our family. He lived with the guilt of what he did every. Single. Day. All he wanted to do was work towards a life where we didn’t have to steal to survive. And I helped him because I knew that. So, yeah. My dad may have been a real piece of shit, but at least he was trying to make things right in any way he could. And at least he had a conscience, unlike you.”

He sits there, still looking at me in this patronizing manner. “Well, that was very inspiring. I’m honestly moved. Maybe you should do motivational speaking after we get through our partnership.”

I grit my teeth in anger. How dense does this guy have to be to not get that I won’t work for him? “I’m not going to work with you!”

“Well, then why’d you come all this way? Don’t tell me it’s because you were attracted to my dashing good looks.”

“I actually came here to shoot you in your smug face, but your guards took my guns away. So, I just decided to let you know that I’m specifically not going to take the deal. I figured you wouldn’t be convinced unless you heard it from me. And if I ever see you again, I am going to kill you. You can bet on that.”

I suddenly can’t breathe. An arm wraps around my throat. The arm of the guard. I try to struggle out of it, but I can’t my vision is fading fast as I see Silva standing up. He walks toward me with an expression of disappointment on his face. “And here I thought you would be the smart one of the family. Such a shame.”


	6. A Bit of a Long Shot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emerald takes her final chance to get rid of Silva.

I wake up in a dark room with one dull light overhead. I’m being held by two of Silva’s guards. Then I see Silva's ever smug face looking back at me. “Glad to know you’re finally awake,” he says. “Now, I see that the polite approach hasn’t worked, so we’re going to try a different approach.” He steps away from me and shows me the three other guards he has. “These guys are gonna be ‘persuading’ you.” He uses air quotes. “I’ll leave them with you for maybe an hour or so, and if you’re still conscious, we’ll see if you are willing to cooperate.” He leans in close again. “Unless, of course, you’re willing to make a deal now.”

I spit in his smug face. He clearly isn’t amused. Good. “I’m not working with you.”

He wipes the spit out of his face. “You know what? I’ll just stay around because at least watching these guys beat the snot out of you will be entertaining.” I can’t use my Aura for long. I won’t be able to use my Semblance later if it’s too low. I’ve gotta think of a way out of this. “Boys, start punching. And remember, you don’t need to kill her. Just make her hurt a lot.”

I enable my Aura just to keep myself safe for a while. I have to make things look like I’m in pain for a while. That smug jerk looks entertained enough, but I need a distraction… Wait! I got it! “Stop! Stop please!”

“Eh, maybe in a little bit.” He chuckles.

What will it take to get him to stop? “Wait! Wait! I wanna talk! I wanna make a deal!”

“Is that deal gonna be to work with me?”

“Yes!” I add some fake crying to sweeten the deal. Hopefully, he doesn’t enjoy it too much and wanna see me suffer more.

He laughs louder. “Alright, alright! You guys can stop.” They stop punching. Thankfully, I still have my Aura up. I turn away from him and crawl toward the wall. “So, little Sustrai, let’s discuss a little business plan.”

I reach into my shirt and reach for the Dust round. And throw it down as a distraction. I close my eyes as the round explodes. When I open them, I see them all blinded by the round. I know Silva has a gun on him somewhere. I just need to fight the other guys. “Get her!”

One goes for a punch. I dodge and grab his arm. I jump up and kick him in the face. I use the guy to jump towards another and kick them in the face. One tries to punch me from behind and I block them. I go for his legs and knock him off his feet. I go after Silva and swipe his gun while he’s not looking. After that, I keep fighting them. Another kick to the teeth for one guy. Meanwhile, I take two of their heads and slam them together. That takes two of them down, but it leaves three left. I shoot them and incapacitate them.

Silva notices the gun and searches his pockets. He starts panicking as I aim for him. I pull the trigger… no shot. No ammo. “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” I say. He starts running upstairs and I follow him. I’m not letting this scumbag get away.

As he gets out, he goes past the security checkpoint. “Someone get her!” I use my Semblance on him to keep myself hidden. I grab my weapons and use it to knock him out. As two guys up front come in and I shoot them with my revolvers. I run up and the door guards to his office come after me. I use both my blades to knock them over. I send them tumbling down the stairs. If they didn’t die from a broken neck, they are going to be in some serious pain in the morning. Now that that’s out of the way, it’s time to get Silva.

I open the door and unfortunately, he already has his gun pointed at me. “Alright. You caused a lot of trouble for me, but now you’re gonna die.”

“You won’t kill me. You need me.”

“Who says I need you?”

“You want my Semblance. To use it for money. That’s all you want, isn’t it? Plus, I took out half your guys downstairs.”

“Half my guys. How do you know I haven’t called more guys back up here?”

“So, you’re stalling, huh?” I use my Semblance to project myself in the same place. I’ll go around and try to take him from behind. I slowly walk as he keeps talking.

“Smart. I guess you are smarter than your old man after all. But at this point, it doesn’t matter. Because either you’re going to be beaten into a coma or shot to death right in this office.”

At that point, I knock the gun out of his hand and slam his face into the desk. I hold a blade to his neck and a gun to his head. Perfect timing since his goons run in just now. They all point their guns at me and I use Silva as a human shield.

“Wait! Wait!” he begs. “Don’t shoot!” Perfect. Begging for his life.

“You want your boss to live,” I say, “you put the guns down.”

“How about you put the boss down, girlie,” one goon says. Yeah, just for calling me “girlie,” I shoot that guy without hesitating.

“Ugh! Why won’t you morons take her down?!”

Alright, five guys. All pointing guns at me. At this point, I could jump over Silva and take the guys out. Or I could just shoot them from here. But that would be no fun. Decisions, decisions…

Then I notice something. Calling them “morons.” And he has shot some before “You know,” I say, “it seems like your boss doesn’t like you very much.”

“What are you talking about?” he says, “I pay you, don’t I?”

They all look at each other. “Well, not that much,” one notes.

His eyes widen. “Well, I’ll give you all raises if you take her out!”

Oh, I’m not done yet. “And does he ever shoot any of you guys? Doesn’t sound like a boss you wanna work for.”

They lower their guns. “Yeah, she has a point,” another says.

“No! No, she doesn’t!” Silva shouts. “Get her or I’ll kill all your families! You will regret it!”

“And how are you gonna do that?” I say. “He has you doing all the grunt work. If he can’t get out of this, he won’t have a chance to do that at all.” I smirk as he starts panicking.

“Wait, Emerald!” he says. “Look, just let me go. I’ll give you anything. Money. Food. A place to stay. Anything! Just let me go!”

“I don’t know, Randall. It seems like these guys want a piece of you. Doesn’t seem like you’ll weasel your way out of this one.”

I flip him over the desk and leave him in front of his now angry henchmen. He smiles nervously and unlike his other smiles, this one brings me nothing but glee. I smirk as I say, “I hope you have some fun with him. I’d do it myself, but watching these guys beat the snot out of you will be entertaining.”

As the guys start kicking the crap out of them, I sit at his desk listening to him screaming. The only thing that would make this better is if I got some popcorn to eat. As I search through the drawers for stuff, I say, “You don’t need to kill him. Just make him hurt a lot.” I find a lot of Lien and pretty expensive stuff in there. This’ll keep me sustained for at least a month.

They keep this up for about a few minutes. Silva still keeps begging me to save him. Yeah, like I’ll really be helping him out. Soon, the guys stop after they’ve had their fill. And I saunter around the desk and stand over his bloodied body. His suit is ruined, his hair is a mess, and I’m pretty sure there are some broken bones.

“So, how are you feeling now, Silva?” I ask as I kneel next to him.

He tries to speak with a broken jaw, spitting out bits of his shark teeth. “You… you’re dead… you'll regret this… ”

“Actually,” I say as I point my gun at him, “you are regretting every single thing that got you to this point. Right now, you are going to regret every single thing you did to my family. And you are definitely going to regret ever trying to mess with me. At least for the few seconds that I let you live.”

I finally see the fear in his eyes just before I pull the trigger. “NO!” BANG!

* * *

So Silva was finally dead. Did it change a lot? Not really. My parents are still dead and I’m still on the streets. But that was okay with me. It’s not like killing him was going to call a magical fairy that would end all my problems. Not a chance. But that’s okay. I’m not letting him ruin my life anymore. What’s next for me? What I always do. Steal to survive. It’s pretty much all I know. I’m not saying I can make it out of this life, but I’m not letting it bother me.

I told all his potential business partners that they weren’t gonna be working with him anymore. Some people took the news well, but some were disappointed. They thought he’d make them rich. I told them that there was definitely some fine print that they missed. That is if he wasn’t outright lying. But it’s all over now.

I know it might not feel like a happy ending, but it’s not like my past was going to come back to haunt me ever again. That much I can be sure of. And it’s not like I was ever failing at my lifestyle anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That is the end of this fic. As I said before, now I'll be moving on to the Team CRME fic and then Roman and Mercury's fics as I work on that one. I hope you have enjoyed it and I hope you enjoy what I have in store. :)
> 
> **Note:** If you have finished this story, I recommend going directly to _CRME_.


End file.
